Cult Film Club Episode 8: Karate Kid 3!

This time on the Cult Film Club, Jaime, Paxton and Shawn tackle their first sequel, the incomparable and sometimes incoherent Karate Kid 3. Daniel Larusso, having already won the All Valley Karate Tournament against a high school bully, a death match against the chosen Chozen, and lost two ultimate loves of his life can do only one thing, turn to the dark side, Return of the Jedi-style. Falling prey to a trap set up by the down-on-his-luck Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese and his overlord/employer ex-Nam buddy Terry Silver, Daniel strays away from the teachings of Mr. Miyagi and follows the path of pain, suffering and the front leg sweep. Can a priceless bonsai tree growing in the pit of the Devil’s Cauldron save his soul? Seriously, this is the recap of the film, not an episode of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero…

Join us as we talk about the film, our favorite scenes, the insanity that is Terry Silver, the unfortunate soundtrack, and our desire to write the ultimate Karate Kid 3 fan fiction bringing back the entire Cobra Kai roster from the first film.

My goodness sir! You are in for an experience in Fear & Pain, and when you’re done with that, More Fear and more Pain! Seriously, this is a fun one, much different from the first two in tone and execution. I’d almost say, listen to our podcast first… 😉

I loved the discussion of this movie you guys did. You touched on all the great and awful things of this film. It’s sure as hell not the best Karate Kid film, but there are so many little things that make it fun for me. Of course I was looking forward to your thoughts on the soundtrack. I would agree the “pop music” stuff is pretty much forgettable, especially in comparison to the original film and part 2 had some gems (Moody Blues – “Rock ‘N’ Roll Over You”) like the Ice Breaking scene.

I think even Part III’s score isn’t as classic from Conti… with the exception of a few cues. The Terry Silver related tracks are great! Sinister and big, just like him. I also really love the final fight’s music when Daniel is scared to fight and finally stands up to Mike. The cue is called “The Final Blow”. I’m sure you guys can find it on youtube or something. Anywho! Love the Cult Film Club, you guys rule!

Thanks man! With the fatal exception of not discussing Silver’s stunning ascot in the final match sequence, I felt like we took a pretty good look at the film. I did like the sinister edge that Conti added to some of the familiar cues from the past films for sure.

One thing is for sure. If I ever get laid off from my day job, I’m looking into independent dumping of toxic waste as a potential career shift. Seems to pay pretty well…

Ha ha… Shawn beware.. dumping toxic waste is an 80s career. I don’t see many higher education degrees in Toxic Waste Disposal like we saw back in the big money 80s. I just don’t want you to make a bad career move. 😉